Filthy Little Britannian
by Larien Surion
Summary: What had started off as a lost bet with Suzaku has now become his main source of income. WARNING: Yaoi, adiction, and pregnant male senarios


This is a fan-fiction, I don't own the rights from this, and I certainly am not getting anything other than a few fan comments for these.

I've only seen the first season of Code Geass, and have only heard snippets of what happens in the second half, but I have a fairly good grasp of what goes on. If there are errors in what I've written, I'll fix it if you let me know nicely, or I'll repair when I get the second season.

**Warning: **There is a lot of yaoi content in this story, as well as some weird scenarios and addiction stuff, that's why I've got it rated M. If you don't like that kind of thing, please stop reading now, Also, I can and do get a little graphic, so if that's not in your taste, please stop reading. Thank you.

This story takes place after Zero Requiem. Lelouch took the Geass Code from C.C. while in a fit of blind panic about not wanting to die and leave Suzaku and Nunally alone. But he's had to leave them in order to protect them.

Filthy Little Britannian

His jaw loosened automatically to accept more of the soldier's dick into his mouth. What had started off as a dare from Suzaku almost a year ago was now his only source of income. He almost didn't care anymore, until the soldier nearly choked him with his cum. Obediently, Lelouch swallowed. His cracked fingers accepted the few dollars he received for his 'services' and he continued on his way.

Lelouch no longer had a last name to tie him down to any one family. The winged sigil emblazoned on his back between his shoulders kept him from dying, but it didn't help keep out the bitter cold. His long, black hair was matted and dirty, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been clean. The filthy clothes were all he had; the pants were torn remnants of the Ashford Academy uniform, the shirt had been part of a soldier's uniform. He wore a battered jacket he'd found in a dumpster, and his shoes were something else he'd dug up. A blanket wrapped like a shawl around his shoulders, since he was always on the move, and it kept out some of the cold. The hat he was wearing had once been Kallen's, a news boy hat she'd worn for cross-play.

Pausing at a dumpster, Lelouch picked through to see if any gloves had been thrown out. He was in luck. There was an old leather pair with only two fingers missing on one glove and three missing on the other. He pulled them on, then continued along to see if he could beg for change before going back to the old Refrain building to sleep.

"Hey, you."

Lelouch looked over, pointing at himself. If nothing else, this sudden change of lifestyle had almost completely robbed him of any self-importance he'd had. He now had an idea why there had been so many unwanted half-breed children. The elevens, no, the Japanese, had had to sell their bodies to make ends meet.

"Yeah, you. Get over here." said the soldier.

Lelouch obeyed. He'd forgotten that Cornelia would be visiting the 'free' state of Japan, which was nothing more than a small zone where Britannians and Japanese lived without fear of each other and were equal.

"You're a pretty thing. You good with your mouth?" the soldier asked.

Lelouch nodded. "Yes, sir."

"It's a boy? Well, this will make things interesting." The soldier laughed.

Lelouch knew this soldier. He worked under Dalton, Cornelia's knight. Still, he got down on his knees and looked up at the man for his orders.

"Take it out." the soldier said, slightly annoyed.

Lelouch took his gloves off, tucking them in his pocket, before carefully unzipping the man's pants and withdrawing the hard length from the pants. Looking up, Lelouch carefully licked the tip.

He had no warning. The soldier grabbed his head and rammed his dick seep into Lelouch's throat. Oh, god, he was going to get skull-fucked again. Through practice, Lelouch carefully unhinged his jaw to make this easier on himself as the soldier rammed himself faster and deeper into Lelouch's throat. Because he knew it was expected, he moved his tongue along the shaft, for all the good it did him. It only meant that the soldier rammed harder, making Lelouch see stars for a moment as the cock went down his throat and fired. With learned obedience, he swallowed.

The soldier tucked himself back into his pants and glared at Lelouch. "Here." He tossed a few dollars at him. "Now get lost, you filthy eleven."

Lelouch blinked a moment, put the money in his pocket, and walked away. Carefully, he tugged his gloves on again. He looked over at the fenced-in area. The free zone, Eupheimia's dream. Cornelia had made that dream come true, and at the entrance was a statue of Euphy, whom everyone now knew had been under the control of the tyrant king Lelouch vi Britannia when she'd ordered the execution of the Japanese.

Nunally and Suzaku lived in there, as did Kallen. Humorously enough, so did the reconstructed Jeremiah, and he tended a small orange grove. In fact, that grove was right close to the entrance, right across the fence from Lelouch.

He sighed. He almost had enough to start the paperwork to be in that free zone. But he'd need more. Enough to get a place to stay, or at least food. He sighed again and was just about to walk away when someone else called out to him.

"You there, boy."

He looked back, nearly dying when he saw it was Cornelia that was calling him. Still, he knew better than to disobey, so he shuffled over. He shivered as a cold wind blew through his jacket.

Cornelia tilted his chin up, taking note of the cold red cheeks, the light flinch that meant his jaw hurt. Those once-proud orchid eyes now looked lost and hollow, and stringy black hair fluttered over his face as another gust of wind came along. "You're a street child, aren't you?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Were you born on these streets?"

He shook his head. He clutched the blanket-shawl closer, trying to look away. Cornelia was beautiful, still, if not a bit proud. He'd heard she'd married, but who was it, again? It didn't matter, what mattered was that Lelouch found it hard not to stare at her stomach. It was bigger than last time.

Cornelia noticed he was staring. "You have an interest in children?" she asked.

Lelouch felt very insecure all of a sudden. In his sleeping around for money he'd forgotten one warning C.C. had given him. That, even if it was a slight chance, because the person who'd given him the Geass, and later the Code, was female, he could very well be able to get pregnant. A fact that now haunted him because it had happened. He nodded, then touched his own, slightly enlarged stomach.

Cornelia smiled at him. Pulling him close, she whispered, "I thought it might be you, Lelouch. That dead body that replaced you looked similar, but I knew it wasn't you."

Lelouch tried to pull away. He didn't want her pity. He'd chosen this life; in order to let everyone else be free he was willing to live in exile, selling his body for a few coins. But Cornelia didn't let him go. She held tight until he'd exhausted himself and hung almost limply in her arms.

"Dalton." she called.

The tall soldier walked over, and Lelouch had his answer as to who it was that his sister had married. While still wearing the uniform, it had changed to that of royalty, meaning Dalton was the Emperor. A title that he obviously didn't care for, as he still served as Cornelia's knight.

"Yes, my Lady?"

"Take this poor boy inside and get him cleaned up." Cornelia said.

But she had to let go in order for Dalton to take him. In that brief moment, Lelouch tried to run. It was to his disgrace that a headache hit him just then, a result of sleeping in the Refrain factory. With a cry of pain, he held his head and dropped to his knees, shaking. He had to stop sleeping there, he just had to. These fits weren't doing his unborn child any justice. He felt Dalton pick him up, and he slid into unconsciousness, the pain in his head too much.

"Poor thing." said Cornelia, gently stroking Lelouch's dirty face. "Let's get him into the mobile command center."

The mobile command center wasn't the huge gaudy thing that they'd once used, but rather a two-floor truck that had all that was really needed. There was a conference table with a half-ring couch around it, a screen that let you get news feeds or see what was going on outside, and upstairs was a small barracks, shower, and bathroom. You could get to the cab from the first floor, or enter from the doors outside like any ordinary vehicle.

Because there was only a shower, it was going to be impossible to clean Lelouch until they reached either the palace or somewhere else. But Cornelia wouldn't be visiting them until tomorrow, so the palace was going to have to do.

She sat on the half-ring couch and motioned for Dalton to put Lelouch down. He laid the boy near her, letting the dirty child's head rest on her lap. Taking the edge of the table, Dalton tipped it so the center hinge made it fold in half, as it was meant to for more intimate conversations or when there was no need for the table. He then came and sat beside Cornelia.

"Cornelia, what is the purpose of taking in this ragged creature?" he asked. He looked at Lelouch. "I've only known of this boy, but he's fairly popular among the soldiers for his, um, services. They all call him L2." He watched as Lelouch shifted. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to be taking him in."

"Thank you for your concern, Dalton." smiled Cornelia. She gently removed the cap from Lelouch's head, letting the dirty hair splay over her lap. "But do you remember when I had that fit after Lelouch's funeral?"

"How could I forget? You threatened Suzaku into telling you your brother was still alive." Dalton replied. He looked down again at L2. "You think this is him?"

Cornelia carefully pulled down the back of the coat and shirt, showing the winged sigil on his back. "I know it is." she returned, showing Dalton. "The soldier's pet, L2, is my dear brother Lelouch."

Lelouch shifted again, rather fitfully. He was having a rough dream. But when Cornelia tried to pet his head, he went nuts. His eyes flew open, wide and scared, and he started clawing at his face, arms and shoulders, screaming. "Mother!" he shrieked. He didn't seem to notice when Cornelia pinned his arms down. He was shaking. "Mother, NO!"

"Lelouch, it's alright." Cornelia soothed.

Lelouch stopped screaming and fell into a fit of tears. "I have to stop this." he sobbed. "I can't sleep there anymore." His sobs wracked his thin, almost gaunt body until he was worn and exhausted. By then, they'd reached the palace. He took his hat back and pulled it over his head before following Cornelia out of the truck. He heard the other soldiers whispering, and a few licked their lips. It would be easy to get the last bit of money needed to get into the 'free zone' if he was to stay here for a short while.

"Dalton, can you bathe him?" Cornelia asked once they reached her rather lavish quarters. "I'll see if I can find something to dress him in."

"It's alright." Lelouch said softly. "I won't be staying long."

"You're staying, and that's final, Lelouch." said Cornelia. She saw the frightened look on his face, and she smiled softly. "However, if you'd like, I'll find some regular clothes for you."

"Thank you." He was slightly embarrassed that Dalton followed him to the bath, but he found it was only out of necessity when he had trouble washing his hair. His dirty skin was washed as well, revealing tanned flesh instead.

"You've grown, Lelouch." said Dalton. "I never thought you would be able to last on your own."

"I can't die." Lelouch said. "The Code keeps me from dying. But I have to work . . . for the baby."

"You're a father?" Dalton asked as he wrapped a towel around the younger's shoulders.

Lelouch shook his head. "Like Cornelia, I'm . . ." he stopped, ashamed.

Dalton nodded, understanding. "C.C. said that something like this might happen to you." He walked Lelouch back into the room.

"Sorry, this was all I could find." said Cornelia. "Nunally let me have it after your funeral."

Lelouch blinked. It was one of the costumes that Milly had tortured him with when he was the school council vice-president. While it wasn't as bad as the dress he'd been forced into wearing, had he still been the proud and stubborn Lelouch he used to be he would have laughed. The outfit was supposed to be a men's bunny suit, consisting of ears, a tuxedo, and a bunny tail attached to a belt. He opted out of the ears and tail, but put the rest of the outfit on. Sadly, there were no shoes, and Cornelia had been prudent enough to throw out the worn old ones he had been wearing.

"I took the liberty of getting a new pair for you." Cornelia smiled. "Call it a gift."

"Thank you." Lelouch said quietly. He was getting tired again, but wasn't sure where he was supposed to sleep. Dalton had left his ragged clothes on one of the maid carts, and his eyes kept returning to the worn blanket.

"We'd best find you a place to . . . Dalton, what's he doing?"

Lelouch took the worn blanket, then went and curled on the floor in the corner of the room. Within moments, he was asleep.

"Never mind." Cornelia sighed.

l

Lelouch looked up at the guard. He'd gotten up early, as he now often did, and had been wandering the halls in his ragged coat and hat when he'd run into one of the knights under Dalton. And right now, they were standing in an alcove while Lelouch sucked him off.

He knew when the knight was about to cum and buried it deep in his throat, swallowing as the white creamy liquid spewed forth. This was getting to be too easy, and this was the sixth person that morning to request his services. He licked his lips and looked up at the man.

"Here, now get going before Dalton catches us." The knight handed Lelouch some money as he tucked himself back into his pants.

As the knight walked away, Lelouch sighed. He didn't want to be here, at the palace. Too many memories cropped up, too much need to take the drug in his pocket to make it all go away. He had to stop these addictions, before the baby got big enough to really be noticed. He had to . . .

Dalton caught him as he fainted. Picking the boy up, he returned to Cornelia's quarters.

"You found him. Where was he?" Cornelia asked.

Dalton made a face. "Blowing one of the knights." he replied. "They thought I didn't see them. Apparently, Lelouch does that for money, to live." His charge shifted and blinked.

"Why are you wearing those filthy clothes again?" Cornelia asked.

"They're comfortable." Lelouch replied. He looked scared, though, when Dalton put him down and something fell from his pocket.

Cornelia knelt and picked it up. "A locket?" she asked.

"Don't open it!" Lelouch cried, but it was too late.

Four pills dropped to the floor in front of the Empress. She looked down and noticed they were all the same kind of pill. She also noted that four more still rested in the locket. "Lelouch." she said warningly as she picked up the pills and put them back in the locket. "What, exactly, is it you do for a living?"

Lelouch sighed. "I'm a whore." he replied. "I sell my body for other men's pleasure in order to eat and survive." He looked at her, putting a hand out for the locket. "So that I'm loyal to my master, I was doped up on Refrain for a while."

"Is that why you screamed last night?" Cornelia asked. She still held on to the locket. She looked at her brother when he nodded. "You said something about not sleeping there anymore. What was that about?"

"The Refrain factory." Lelouch replied. He hated all these questions. "It's warm there, but the lingering smell still affects you." He shuddered. "Those aren't Refrain pills."

"I know." said Cornelia. "These are stolen multivitamins, aren't they?" She was surprised when he shook his head. "Then what are they?"

"Stolen pills to get off the Refrain." he replied. He finally managed to swipe the locket back. "When the withdrawal gets bad enough, this suppresses it so it won't interfere with work." He seemed to flinch at something, covering his ears.

"Lelouch?"

"It was the only way to save you. Don't hate me. Please, don't hate me." His eyes wide with terror, Lelouch kept begging with some unknown person to not hate him.

"Who is it, Lelouch? Who's bothering you?" asked Cornelia.

"Just tell your knight to keep you away from me. It wasn't my fault. I didn't know it was out of control." He fell to his knees, still shaking. Throwing his head back, he screamed, finally giving the name of his 'tormentor'. "Euphemia!" He fell to the floor, shaking and sobbing, still begging for forgiveness. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to."

Cornelia tried to reach out and touch him, but he flinched. The Refrain withdrawal was making him hallucinate. "Lelouch?"

"I didn't want to pull the trigger. Not on you, not on Clovis." Lelouch sobbed. "Especially not you, Euphy. I would have given up everything to help your dream." He passed out.

Cornelia gently petted the long hair for a while. "Dalton, I won't be able to go to the 'free zone' today. There is someone here who needs my help more, and unless he can come with us, I don't see how we'd be able to go." She paused, looking at Lelouch's tear-stained face. "Get one of the regular cars, Dalton. He comes with us."

l

Thanks to Britanian science and Japanese innovation, Nunally could see again. Her eyes had been repaired, and she was re-learning how to walk. At the moment, she was on braces and crutches, but she was able to move around on her own. She stood at the door to her little apartment that she shared with Kallen and, quite surprisingly, Gino, Kallen's husband. "They're here!" she squealed.

Kallen smiled, holding little Clovis in her arms. While she hadn't cared much for the Britanian royal family, when Nunally had wanted her to name her son Clovis, she'd caved in and agreed. Gino had thought it a good name as well, since the child was blonde, albeit the red strip of hair on the left side of his face that was a birthmark.

Cornelia, wearing a plain crimson dress, stepped out of the car. The only item showing her as royalty was the small crest pinned to her collar, same as the one on Dalton. It was the third person that stepped out of the car that made everyone wonder.

Lelouch was still wearing most of his tattered clothes; the hat and coat to be precise. He shrank back when he saw Kallen and Gino, but he couldn't help watching his little sister as she hobbled around.

"I have an appointment tomorrow to see if my legs are getting stronger." Nunally said brightly.

"I'm so proud of you." smiled Cornelia. She looked up and motioned for Lelouch to come closer. "They don't bite." she said.

"That one does." Lelouch said, pointing at Kallen as he walked closer. It was a shuffling walk, purposefully meant to hide who he was.

"I don't bite that much." Kallen said. She passed the baby to Gino, the walked over, trying to get a better look at Lelouch. "I think I've seen you before." she said.

"He's the one that stands at the gate near Jeremiah's orange grove." said Nunally. "Every Tuesday."

Lelouch bit his lip. So, Nunally had been watching him.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person L2." Nunally smiled. She held out her hand.

Lelouch paused a moment, then shook it. So, they knew him as L2 here. That would make things a little easier.

"Isn't L2 the name of the whore that hangs around the guards?" Gino asked.

Lelouch nodded. "It's not a profession I'm proud of, but it gets what I need." He touched his forehead, shaking.

"You can go back in the car and rest." said Cornelia. She sighed as he more than happily took the offer.

"So what's wrong with him?" Kallen asked.

Cornelia sighed. "He's trying to get off Refrain by himself. As a result, he hallucinates, screaming at spectres and things from his past. Each time, he's begging forgiveness." She sighed; blinking when Nunally put a hand on her expansive belly. Then, she smiled.

"So, do you know what you're having?" Gino asked.

Cornelia shook her head. "I wanted to know, but Dalton didn't. And since I tend to tell him everything, we opted not to know. Besides, it's actually kind of fun trying to guess."

A shriek from the car had Dalton over there in a moment, and he gasped before pulling a shaking Lelouch from the car.

"What is it?" Cornelia asked.

Lelouch was holding his stomach, blood dripping from his mouth. He coughed again, and more blood fell. His eyes widened in horror at the red liquid, and he screamed again.

"Let me see." A gentle hand tilted Lelouch's face up. "Come on, open up. I'm not going to hurt you."

Lelouch's eyes widened when he saw the person, and he fainted. A decent defence mechanism, if not awkward.

Suzaku sighed. "He's bit his tongue." he said. "Give it a bit and it should stop bleeding." He picked Lelouch up carefully, and they all went inside Kallen's apartment.

"Just put him on one of the couches." said Kallen as she went to get tea ready.

"So, you're touring the free zone?" Suzaku asked. He sat and let Lelouch lie across his lap.

"Actually I'm just here to visit, as a Britanian citizen seeing friends." Cornelia replied. "Rank and station mean nothing in here aside from to those posted to watch the fence." She smiled at Suzaku. "How are the border patrols?"

"Not bad. We have to occasional drunk try to get through, or someone trying to get in without papers, but we set them right. The drunks get dropped at any of three 'sober stations' we put up, and the ones trying to get in without papers are informed of the sponsor program if they can't get the fee together, especially if it's for a family." He sighed. "Still, I kinda wish Lelouch was with us. But the fee for a Britanian to get in alone is almost as much as the family fee for either kind. He'd be better off marrying before trying to enter."

Cornelia looked at the boy lying on Suzaku's lap. "Even if he were, he would need food and shelter, and someone to care for him."

"You know where he is?" Nunally asked.

"Yes." Cornelia sighed. "But don't tell him I told you."

"Hmm?" Kallen stepped in and put the tea on the table, then took a seat next to Gino. "So, where is Lelouch? Everyone from school except Milly believes he's dead."

Cornelia looked at the youth sleeping on Suzaku's lap. "He's L2." she said.

"What?" asked Kallen.

Lelouch shifted, muttering in his sleep. "Move over, Clovis."

Suzaku didn't seem fazed; he just kept running his hands over Lelouch's long hair. "It's been almost a year since Zero Requiem. Almost everyone's forgotten Lelouch vi Britannia, and it's probably better that they do."

"Clovis, you ass." Lelouch muttered. "Move slightly left. Then you won't die." he whimpered. "I said left, not right." His body started to shudder.

Nunally hobbled over and sat on the floor near Suzaku. "It's alright, L2." she said, petting his shoulder. But as her hand traced down his back, she noticed something. She looked at Cornelia, worried.

"What is it, Nunally?"

"His back. The muscles are moving strangely, like they do on you sometimes."

Dalton looked at Cornelia.

"She felt when I had false labor once." Cornelia said in response to his unasked question. She looked back at Nunally. "How bad is it?"

"Bad. It keeps moving, like a wave." Nunally carefully moved her hand forward on Lelouch, only to pause.

From behind the black-brown hair, a pair of sad purple eyes blinked at her. They were full of pain, worry, and fear. A tear slowly slid its way down his cheek, and he tried to reach a hand out to touch her, only to pull back.

"It's alright, L2." said Cornelia. "Nunally won't break." She noticed the hand had pulled back and was now resting on the firmed stomach. "What is it?"

He didn't speak, but his body continued to shudder and shake. He was crying.

"What's wrong?" Suzaku asked, forcing Lelouch to look up at him.

"I'm not dreaming or feeling things that aren't there, am I?" he asked, tears in his eyes. "The pain's real, isn't it?"

"Pain?" asked Kallen. "What's going on?"

"He's pregnant." said Dalton. "Some soldier's child, probably, but still his."

"How far?" Kallen asked. "I was going for medicine after school finished, so I might be able to help."

"We're not sure." Cornelia replied.

Lelouch winced and sucked air sharply, gasping. "I'm not sure, myself. Just enough to get a faint flutter every once in a while."

"About thirteen weeks." Kallen gently moved Nunally and touched Lelouch's firmed front. "You aren't even really showing yet."

Lelouch twisted. The pain was bad, and he didn't understand much of it.

"Gino, my medical bag." She accepted the black object from her husband. "I need to give him a shot, Suzaku. Hold him still."

Lelouch winced, almost fainting as he got the needle. "What . . ?"

"Just relax." said Kallen. "It'll start to work soon." she sighed. "I also need to actually get at your stomach, L2."

He turned his head away, nervously moving his arms. He winced as Kallen moved his clothes. He heard her gasp.

"You're so thin." Her hand rested over his lower abdomen, where the baby would be nestled. "This might be a little cold. I need to check how the baby is."

He nodded, and one hand managed to catch Suzaku's. He shuddered as Kallen moved the wand over his gaunt body. He didn't like the way she sighed.

"He needs proper medical treatment. If the sonogram is giving any indication, his body is trying to expel the child. He's got maybe an hour before the medication I gave him runs out, and then he and the baby are going to need help." Kallen sighed. "There's only one problem."

Gino knew. "He's not registered here in the free zone."

"He will be." said Suzaku. "I'll sponsor him."

l

The hospital flatly refused him treatment. He wasn't a resident of the free zone, and they had no idea how to treat his condition. So Lelouch was left with nowhere to go but the Britannian Medical Facility, trying to hold on to the life he'd only recently become aware of.

They reached the Medical Facility with barely any time left for the medication he'd been given. Suzaku carried him; he'd gotten weaker over the course of the hour. Kallen kept track of his vital signs and the baby's. Her results weren't doing well.

"He needs help now. The baby won't last at this rate." said Kallen.

The team listened to what Cornelia was telling them, then set to work, trying to keep Lelouch from birthing. It didn't work.

Suzaku and Cornelia were both staying with him when, only an hour after he'd been brought in, Lelouch suddenly screamed.

"L2, what is it?" Cornelia asked. She hated not being able to call him by his real name.

Lelouch only panted for a moment, then screamed again.

Kallen checked him. "Oh, shoot."

"What is it?" asked Suzaku.

"Labor. We can't stop it, he's too far." Kallen looked at the pale face. "It's coming, whether he's ready or not." She paged an emergency team. That baby, if it was to survive, would need a lot of help.

Lelouch gripped the closest thing, which was Suzaku's wrist. He shrieked, and then, there was an awful feeling. Liquid, and something moving out of him. He panicked, screaming again as another contraction raked down. The baby was born.

Almost instantly, the tiny child was swept away to a private room, where they were hooked up to several tubes and monitors to try and sustain life.

It was six days later that Lelouch, who hadn't been in any great shape himself, finally got to see his baby.

Cornelia put an arm on his shoulder. "They asked for a name." she said.

Lelouch placed a hand on the side of the isolation bassinette, looking at the tiny life that struggled so hard just to live. The child looked skinny, and was small enough to fit in his one hand. "Hope." he said.

"It's a boy, L2." said the nurse.

"Hope." he repeated. "My son's name is Hope." He stood there for most of the day, just watching the tiny life, hoping that they would make it.

Kallen walked over. "Visiting time's almost over." she said.

"How old is he?"

"When we did the measurements and checked his development, he checked in at sixteen weeks. Four months, roughly."

Lelouch sighed. "I can't leave him." he said softly. "I lost him once, I can't lose him again."

"Come on." Kallen gently walked him away from the bassinette.

l

The hospital called Cornelia two weeks later, asking where L2 was.

"Isn't he there?" Cornelia asked. She rubbed her almost-term belly.

"He hasn't arrived for the past six days. His after birth appointment to make sure he's recovering well is today, and he's failed to show up. Please, Empress, find him."

Cornelia hung up the phone and thought a moment. Then, she called Suzaku.

"Kururugi residence." Suzaku said. "Hmm? No, he hasn't been home for three days. I was actually about to call you and see if he was there. You are closer to his son than I am." He looked up as the front door opened. "One moment, he just walked in." He bit his lip. "I'll call you back." He hung up and walked over. "Lelouch?"

Lelouch gripped the front of Suzaku's shirt. "Help." he whispered, right before throwing up. What came up was enough for Suzaku to worry even more. Cleaning the mess, he bundled Lelouch into his small car and drove to the hospital near the palace.

"It's about time he showed up." said a doctor. He noticed Lelouch was leaning on Suzaku for support. "What's wrong? Can't he walk?"

Suzaku sat his friend down. "He stumbled home and promptly threw up. I haven't seen him for three days." There was a thud behind him, and they turned. L2 lay, unconscious, on the floor.

"We should get the blood work for the check-up done while he's unconscious." said the doctor. "He seems afraid of needles."

The results were back in almost record time, and they weren't good.

"Suzaku, were there any drugs he was on while living with you?"

Suzaku shook his head. "He had an anti-hallucination drug because he was going off Refrain cold-turkey, but that was it."

"Well, just judging by the marks all over his body, these were taken involuntarily."

"What?" Suzaku asked. He noticed they were hooking something up to Lelouch.

"We need to pump his stomach. He's lucky he managed to walk back to you. He's got several painkillers in his system, as well as any number of drugs actually injected into his blood stream." The doctor sighed. "The worst in the amount of Refrain in his system. It's almost lethal."

The involuntary sound of L2 throwing up made Suzaku's heart twist in his chest. "I'll be back in a few minutes. He's going to ask about his son, and I want to be able to answer him truthfully." He walked down the hall and took the elevator up to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). He washed before walking over to the tiny baby.

Little Hope was now two weeks outside of Lelouch, and at what should have been eighteen weeks living inside him. There were still tubes and monitors helping the child live, but he moved a bit more. One little leg was kicking rather strongly, and his tiny arms moved in a jerky fashion. Naturally, his little eyes were closed, but his tiny little fingers moved a little as well. Suzaku pulled out his phone and took a picture so he could show Lelouch.

His heart almost stopped when he saw what it said on the baby's information tag. It said under name: Hope. That was fine. But it said under mother: L2 the Whore.

Suzaku sighed and walked back to Lelouch's room.

Lelouch looked terrible. They had pumped his stomach, and he had a blood transfusion running into one arm to try and decrease the percentage of near-lethal chemicals in his blood. He looked over as Suzaku walked in, and he could tell something else had happened.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at the doctor.

"We can't get any answers from him, but we had to, umm . . . scrape the uterus. He was retaining a deceased unborn, maybe only two or three days old."

"Let me talk to him." Suzaku walked over and gently ran a hand over L2's hair. "Hey. I went to see Hope."

Lelouch looked at him.

"He's moving a bit more. Here, I took a picture." He showed him the image on the phone.

Lelouch smiled and managed to whisper, "I miss him."

"What happened to you?" Suzaku asked.

"I . . . they found me. Did things to me. I struggled. They drugged. I wanted to see Hope." He passed out, too weak to really talk.

l

Lelouch was kept for a few weeks, trying to help him recover. The mass amount of Refrain alone in his system was enough to warrant this, let alone the other drugs. But he refused the lower doses of the drugs. He didn't want to even see them, so the anti-hallucination drug was all he would take, and only if Suzaku gave it to him when things got so bad that he would claw at his arms, face, and neck.

The only news of Hope's development also came from Suzaku, often in the form of pictures. Lelouch clung to these little images like they were everything, and quite proudly showed them to Cornelia when she came to visit, bringing her tiny little baby girl with her.

And then, Suzaku came to visit and found the bed empty. He thought Lelouch would be in the washroom, so he sat down and waited. After ten minutes, he began to worry, so he got up and asked one of the nurses.

She laughed. "Oh, they didn't tell you? He's gone to visit his son. It's the first time in two months he's been able to go up, although he had to be in a wheelchair. You can head up, too, if you'd like."

Suzaku nodded and hurried up to where Hope was. He got quite a surprise.

Lelouch was holding him. There were IV lines in both 'mother' and son, but that look on Lelouch's face said everything. He was content.

The little baby made a squeaking noise, his first sounds that were supposed to be cries. According to developmental age, he was only six months. His tiny body only weighed about two pounds, and he was wrapped in a blanket to keep warm. But that sound was everything to Lelouch. He held the baby a little bit closer, trying to keep him warm.

"I'm sorry, we have to put him back in the bassinette, or he could get sick." said a nurse. She carefully took Hope from his 'mother' and tucked him back in the bassinette. "You can stay and talk to him a bit if you want."

"Thank you." Lelouch said. He placed a hand on the glass, watching as Hope wiggled a bit and then settled to sleep.

"You look happy." said Suzaku.

Lelouch looked over. "I got to . . . he's starting to take a bottle once in a while. I was allowed to try feeding him." He looked a little flustered.

"Come on. A doctor is supposed to be seeing how you're doing in a few, and we don't want to make him wait."

Lelouch nodded and sighed. "I'll be back, Hope." he whispered before letting Suzaku take him away.

l

The doctor said nothing to Lelouch about the results of the check-up. And Suzaku had to try and pry it out of him.

"He's recovering fine, but there were things missed when he came in that should have been taken care of." said the doctor. "To care for these now would take a lot of time, and pain on his part, to repair. There's also the question of what actually happened to put him in the condition he was in when you brought him." He looked at Suzaku. "His body has healed, but some things are badly misplaced. And there's the question of that winged sigil on his back."

"The sigil's just a tattoo." Suzaku lied. It would be better if they didn't know that L2 had the power to grant someone a Geass.

The doctor nodded. "He's still quite the mystery, though. The fact that his body healed while also expelling the bullets is strange."

"Bullets?"

"I was shot." said Lelouch. He'd managed to actually hobble his way out of the room, leaning on the wall for support. "If you want to know what happened, I'll tell you. But don't interrupt until I've finished." He struggled his way back into the room and sat down.

Suzaku and the doctor followed.

"I had gone out to see Hope when I was first attacked . . .

_Lelouch stumbled as a bullet went right through his shoulder. He looked back and noticed it was the ever-so-loyal druggies of his once master. He stumbled, trying to get away, but a second bullet tore through his leg. With no hope, he was dragged back to the Refrain factory._

_For the next two day, his life was a blur of pain, medication, and yelling. He became dazed, too doped up on the Refrain and other medications to care. Or, that was what the 'master' thought. On the third day, he tried to get away. No one saw it coming, so they had to scramble to try and get him. But by the time they caught up, he was in the 'free zone', stumbling his way to Suzaku. Three times, his leg and back were shot, but he made it._

. . . I knew I needed help. I knew they had abused me, and that I was doped up. I needed to get help, and Suzaku was the only one I could think of."

l

Despite his release, Lelouch was still seen mostly at the hospital, though it wasn't too hard to know why. Little Hope was getting stronger, and had been changed from the isolation bassinette to a regular one. To any person that came to visit the baby, including Nunally, who walked in on her own, Lelouch bragged about how the baby was doing.

And then, it happened. Lelouch came in to see Hope when a nurse stopped him.

"What?" he asked.

"The tests Suzaku asked for are back."

"Tests?" Lelouch tentatively took the offered papers. He remembered Suzaku mentioning he wanted to know who Hope's father was, but he hadn't known that the tests were actually being done. As he scanned the page, his eyes fell to the name of the father. It was one of the soldiers.

"By the way, we called Suzaku to come pick you up." said the nurse.

"What?" Lelouch asked.

"Here you go, all ready." A nurse walked over, carrying the car seat they'd brought for Hope. There was a happy squeal from the car seat, and Lelouch stopped worrying. His baby was coming home.

As they sat in the vehicle, Lelouch sighed.

"What is it?"

"I know who the father is." Lelouch said. He handed Suzaku the papers. "Cornelia's not going to be pleased."

Suzaku blinked. "I didn't think he was a soldier?"

"He is, and he paid fairly well to do me, too." Lelouch sighed again. "The question is, do we tell him?"

"Might as well." Suzaku replied. "It's not like he has any claim to Hope."

They pulled up near the barracks, and Lelouch got out of the car. As he'd hoped, the soldier was standing by the door, smoking.

"Hello, Rivalz." he said.

He looked up. "L2, I was wondering where you'd gone off to. I've been looking for you, pet."

Lelouch handed him one of the page copies. "I thought I'd come in person to tell you about your son."

Rivalz looked at the paper. "A son?" he asked, almost disbelieving. He looked up as Suzaku walked over holding the baby. "So, you're staying in the free zone?"

"Yeah. You knew I was trying to get money together to go there."

Rivalz nodded. "Take care, then." He turned to walk away, then looked back. "Oh, and Suzaku?"

"Hmm?"

"Take good care of him. Lelouch is still a pretty-boy."

Lelouch looked at him. "How did . . ?"

"Your technique. I am the one Suzaku dared you into blowing back in school, remember?"

Lelouch just sighed. "Come on, Suzaku. Let's get home."


End file.
